Gaming machines that provide players awards in primary or base games are well known. These gaming machines generally require a player to place a wager to activate a play of the primary game. For many of these gaming machines, any award provided to a player for a wagered-on play of a primary game is based on the player obtaining a winning symbol or a winning symbol combination and on an amount of the wager (e.g., the higher the amount of the wager, the higher the award). Winning symbols or winning symbol combinations that are less likely to occur typically result in higher awards being provided when they do occur. Winning symbols or winning symbol combinations are typically displayed to the player via a paytable. The paytable defines an average expected payback percentage for the primary game.
Bonus or secondary games are also known in gaming machines. Such gaming machines usually provide an award to a player for a play of one such bonus game in addition to any awards provided for any plays of any primary games. Bonus games usually do not require an additional wager to be placed by the player to be initiated. Bonus games are typically initiated or triggered upon an occurrence of a designated triggering symbol or designated triggering symbol combination in the primary game. For instance, a gaming machine may initiate or trigger a bonus game when a bonus symbol occurs on the payline on the third reel of a three reel slot machine. The gaming machine generally indicates when a bonus game is initiated or triggered through one or more visual and/or audio output devices, such as the reels, lights, speakers, display screens, etc. Part of the enjoyment and excitement of playing certain gaming machines is the initiation or triggering of a bonus game, even before the player knows an amount of a bonus award won via the bonus game.
Most gaming machines are designed to pay back, on average, a certain percentage of the amount of money wagered by players over a large number of plays of the game. The average percentage of money wagered that is paid back to the player is typically called the average expected payback percentage, the average expected payback, or the average expected return. The more games that are played on a given machine, the more likely that the actual payback percentage will approach the average expected payback percentage. The average expected payback percentage provided by a gaming machine is determined by the paytable of the game of that gaming machine. For a slot game, a paytable determines which awards will be provided to a player if certain winning symbols or winning symbol combinations appear on an activated or wagered on payline.
Most gaming machines are also designed to hold, on average, a certain percentage of the amount of money wagered by players over a large number of plays of the game. The average percentage of money wagered that is held by the gaming machine is typically called the average expected hold or the average expected hold percentage. The more games that are played on a given machine, the more likely that the actual hold will approach the average expected hold percentage. The average expected hold percentage and the average expected payback percentage constitute, on average, 100% of the money wagered on the gaming machine. Gaming machines with a higher average expected payback percentage have a lower average expected hold percentage, and vice versa.
Most games played at existing gaming machines have paytables that include predetermined winning symbol combinations or events. As a result, such games also have paytables with predetermined, static average expected payback percentages. In such existing gaming machines, the amounts of the wagers made on the primary games by the player may vary while the average expected payback percentage (or the average expected hold percentage) for such primary games remains constant.
Certain known or proposed gaming machines enable players to, for a play of a game, purchase a better or enhanced paytable for that play of the game or purchase a chance to receive a better or enhanced paytable for that play of the game. The better or enhanced paytable typically has an average expected payback percentage that is higher than an average expected payback percentage of a default or initial paytable of the game. The better or enhanced paytable is, however, active for a limited duration, such as for a single play of the game or for a designated quantity of at least two plays of the game. In other words, the better or enhanced paytable is not permanent for all subsequent plays of the game. Further, for a player to obtain the better or enhanced paytable, the player must pay a fee or place an additional wager.
Gaming establishment or casino loyalty programs are also well known. A casino loyalty program works in conjunction with a player tracking system to offer incentives to players in exchange for the player's loyalty to and play history at the gaming establishment. Such loyalty incentives are often provided and funded by the gaming establishment's marketing department. These marketing department promotions are not accounted for in determining the overall paytable for the gaming machines. One known way to provide loyalty incentives to players is by offering promotional credits (delivered as either direct mail offers or as a result of a loyalty bonus) to be utilized in one or more wagering games. Such promotional credits are often offered as a one-time event, such as for a player signing up for a player tracking card. Another known way to provide loyalty incentives to players is to offer free promotional game plays delivered as either direct mail or email offers or as a result of a loyalty bonus.
There is a continuing need to provide a gaming system configured to reward a loyal player of a game in response to the player simply playing the game and, more specifically, to provide a gaming system configured to permanently increase the average expected payback percentage of a game as a reward in response to a player simply playing that game.